Woman set on fire while giving birth

A woman was set on fire during a caesarean delivery at the maternity unit of Waitakere Hospital in New Zealand at the weekend.

The fire left the woman, who was giving birth, with burns to the lower part of her body.

Hospital authorities and the Fire Service have launched separate investigations into how the fire started in the operating suite on Saturday morning.

The woman was resting in a comfortable condition in Middlemore Hospital on Saturday night. Her baby boy was not hurt and is with her at the hospital.

The Waitemata District Health Board said the fire was a freak accident.");document.write("

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While the cause was not known, investigators said it was possible an alcohol-based swabbing solution, used to sterilise parts of the body for surgery, may have been ignited accidentally.

Caroline Mackersey, general manager of communications for the Waitemata District Health Board, said the baby was still in the uterus when the fire started.

Staff in the operating theatre, including an anaesthetist and obstetrician, are believed to have smothered the fire on the woman, who was anaesthetised with an epidural (a local anaesthetic injected into the region around the spinal cord). They performed the caesarean immediately.

"What happened was outside the experience of anybody in that operating theatre and there was a very experienced anaesthetist and specialist."

Fire services said diathermy equipment, used to cut through skin and cauterise any bleeding, was a possible source of ignition.